In 2020 I plan to join the Air Reserve or Guard and attend University of Texas in 2021 to obtain a Master Degree in Finance. My Bachelor's Degree is in Criminal. I am currently a Medical Technician in the United States Air Force. I am joining the Reserves or Guard to become a Financial Comptroller which will give some experience I can add to my resume. Does anyone have any tips how I can obtain an internship or volunteer in the finance industry? Top Tier companies like Wells Fargo, JP Morgan, Bank of America, etc....

One "hidden gem" venue to connect with in any community is the economic development agency in your area. Here is the link to the one at Minot Area Development:http://www.minotusa.com/about/BoardofDirectors_Staff/
Stephanie Hoffart is the President/CEO at of that team and she is also on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniehoffart/
They also have a representative of the AF Base on their board- Pat Travnieck, retired. They might already have a liaison with the base in place. Call Stephanie's office and ask. Then either network in yourself or through the existing base link to proceed with your search.

I agree that you will need to refine your finance definition to zero in on the specific field you are seeking prior to any more search effort and then focus on that segment going forward. Good luck.

Hi Karlton, there are many ways to achieve what you desire and a few that Yasmina has suggested.

First introspect and see what you really want to do in the finance sector, since most people will be willing to help but they'll ask you what you want to, so be specific. Think about your interests. Finance is vast: from banking to mortgage lending, investments to FP&A. Next, colleges near you will have these career fairs that you can attend and explore - attend and ask a lot of questions. And lastly network, have people you know introduce you to people you'd like to speak with, this soft introduction will ensure you get a conversation via LinkedIn.

Thank you so much for your service and for your question, Karlton! I would suggest networking as a first step. You can start doing that here, if you’d like! Simply go on our community tab and look for advisors in your area within the financial field. If time permits, you can also apply for our mentoring program, here’s the application: https://www.acp-usa.org/mentoring-program/veteran-application.

As an additional step, Try reaching out to people on LinkedIn from your own network. You can then reach out to others from professional interest groups and from companies that you’re interested in. Ask them for an informational phone call, or perhaps meet up for coffee. Although this doesn’t always result in a new internship, you’d be surprised at how much you can learn from connecting with others. I find that this article from Muse can be very helpful: https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-rules-for-asking-your-linkedin-connections-for-help

If you still have questions on how to best approach this situation, please feel free to reach out to us. Our number is 212-752-0700.